Carl Blake, whose pork is being used on the Farmer's Pick Buffet at a Waterloo casino, holds one of his rare Iowa Swabian Hall pigs. / Register file photo

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You know the local foods movement is catching on when casinos start to jump on the hay wagon. The Isle Casino in Waterloo just “transformed” its buffet into “Farmer’s Pick Buffet,” and has partnered with several Iowa producers, who sell everything from vegetables and herbs to Carl Blake’s Swabian Hall pork, which was featured in a Register article last fall as well as on “The Colbert Report” and in the New York Times.

Four other Isle of Ca­pri Casinos, Inc., properties (the company owns 17 casinos in seven states) have also rolled out Farmer’s Pick Buffets. The Waterloo casino is the only one in Iowa with the program.

While the idea of a buffet may seem antithetical to the sort of vibe that proponents of fresh and local generally cultivate, I’m inclined to high-five this move, especially since they’ve really gone all in.

All of the casino’s beef comes from Hibbs Farms in Marshall County. The casino buys a whole pig from Blake’s Rustik Rooster Farm and smokes it on-premise for delightful pulled pork. A daily chicken special hails from La Ventosa Ranch in Clemons, and 80 percent of the dairy products they use come from Hansen’s Dairy in Hudson. They also use a smattering of Iowa-produced sausage, mushrooms, barbecue sauce, herbs, vegetables, honey and other stuff.

And there’s this: Vendors also include Jumpy Monkey Coffee Roasting Company, an arm of Opportunities Unlimited, a residential rehabilitation center in Sioux City. The company provides employment for individuals who have sustained a traumatic brain injury, helping them to relearn workforce skills.

Isle regulars need not fear. Though some new recipes have been developed to take advantage of the vendors’ products, many Isle favorites have been kept, but tweaked to include the local ingredients — which shows an out-of-the-buffet-line sort of thinking and a willingness to get creative that is hard to find in corporate culture. The price of the buffet is unchanged.

While a casino and a buy-local-food philosophy may seem like strange bedfellows, the casino might find an untapped market for the local purveyors of really good quality food.

Local farmers and businesses interested in becoming a vendor should call the Isle’s purchasing department at 319-833-2196. You can see some vendors in videos on the casino’s website: www.waterloo.isleofcapricasinos.com

Melon artist is born

It could be that a watermelon changes the course of Nolan Fitzpatrick’s life. The Clive (8700 Hickman Road) Dahl’s employee saw a fancy carved one at a graduation party and decided it might be fun to make one. Next thing you know the kid is talking about his art on KCWI 23’s “Great Day” show and food columnists are interrupting his day.

Fitzpatrick, 20, has no art background and no burning desire (yet!) to chuck his history and communications majors at St. Ambrose University, where he will be a junior, or to forgo law school.

He made one just for kicks. “Everyone liked it,” he said, “so I just kept on making them.” Among other things, has sculpted a shark, the Statue of Liberty (complete with rind crown spikes), one for the All-Star Game and one of Chadwick the owl, Dahl’s mascot.

Now, he’ll make them to order. To get your own watermelon oeuvre, call the store at 515-276-4955. They run $20 to $25 and you should allow a couple of days. It’s just too bad they’ll never be a collector’s item.

Amuse bouches

• Holy genius, Batman! Some crazy, fabulous food blogger — who makes a lot of bacon-based culinary heart attacks for his blog, DudeFoods.com — has won my heart. Just when I thought bacon had jumped the shark (sorry Bacon Fest guys …), this guy comes up with a “Bacon Weave Choco Taco.” If I wasn’t already married, I’d propose. I think he’s from Wisconsin but he’s definitely an Iowan at heart. Find instructions for your own Baco-choco-taco on his site.

Alba also offers half-price bottles of wine on Wednesdays, and Monday through Friday has a 5-6:30 p.m. happy special in the bar that includes half-price apps and $5 specialty drinks. I gotta get out more. 524 E. 6th St., 515-244-0261

• Another reason for Thelma Lewis, who died recently at the age of 108, to be proud of her descend­ants (and of her snickerdoodle cookie recipe): Thelma’s Treats ice cream sandwiches are now available at area Hy-Vee stores.

• The metro area’s second Dunkin’ Donuts store made its debut at 5 a.m. on July 10 in Ankeny at 1620 N. Ankeny Blvd. Doughnuts are like bacon — no such thing as too much.